Acuña keeps dad’s advice close

Ronald Acuña, a former New York Mets international prospect, was a very good base runner. He had 187 stolen bases in the minor leagues.

So it should be no surprise that the first advice he gave his son was to always run and play hard. That’s the advice Ronald Acuña Jr., the 2018 National League Rookie of the Year, shall never forget.

“He taught me all of those small things needed to help me grow in baseball and life,” said the 21-year old Atlanta Braves outfielder and leadoff hitter. “Since I was a kid, he said to me ‘You always have to run hard. You have to hustle.’ These words are always in my mind.”

That lesson didn’t exactly stick at first. He did not run hard on a play in his first game in Rookie League ball in 2015, garnering his first tough love in the minors.

“They took me out of the game,” Acuña Jr. said. “Of course, I heard from him. He scolded me for that.”

Acuña Jr. has taken his father’s advice even more seriously since that tough lesson. Playing hard with love and pride for the game is helping him develop his tremendous natural talent to be one of the most impactful players in the major leagues.

The younger Acuña counts current and former major leaguers Vicente Campos, Alcides Escobar, Edwin Escobar and Kelvim Escobar among his cousins. Former big leaguer José Escobar is his uncle. Acuña Jr., a native of La Guaira, Venezuela, showed his skills in 2017 when he became the youngest player to win the Arizona Fall League Most Valuable Player.

“What impresses me is how he enjoys playing baseball,” Atlanta Braves manager Brian Snitker said. “He loves to compete. He loves to play. He loves to get out there, and do all the little things needed to prepare himself to play a game.”

Snitker is very happy and proud to have Acuña Jr., 22-year old second baseman Ozzie Albies, and a solid core of young players. Those men were key contributors as the Braves advanced to the National League playoffs in 2018 for the first time since 2013.

“It’s refreshing for me to watch Ronald, Ozzie, all our young guys, having fun playing baseball,” Snitker said.

Snitker is enjoying himself again. The Braves ended May among the top National League teams. A big reason for that success is Acuña Jr. and the outstanding role he plays as a leadoff hitter.

“He’s a different animal when he hits leadoff,” Snitker said. “Maybe he needs to hit leadoff. He likes it there. He helped our team to get going and, we have done pretty well since [the second week of May].”

The young star hit 11 home runs and drove in 31 runs in his first 207 at bats in 2019. He has proven, since he made his major league debut on April 25th 2018, to have the kind of talent that could make him one of the greatest hitters in the game, regardless of where he hits in the lineup.

Snitker, who has been in the Braves organization since 1977, notes that he has always envisioned Acuña as a No. 3 through 5 type of hitter who could produce 30 home runs, steal 30 bases and drive in 100 runs per season.

He moved Acuña to the leadoff spot with the overall team in mind.

With power and speed, Acuña hit .293 with 26 home runs and 16 stolen bases in 111 games in 2018.

He has drawn raves throughout the majors.

“He’s a great athlete, and he could probably play anywhere out there,” San Francisco Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. “He can run and his bat is very quick.” He reminds me of [Gary] Sheffield.”

Bochy, who has been one of the best managers of his generation, noted that not many balls are hit where Acuña drilled his 417-foot monster to center field for his second home run on May 20 in the Braves’ 4-1 victory over the Giants.

He hit his first home run of the game to left-center field.

Sheffield hit 509 home runs during his 22-year career. Acuña Jr. was too young to follow the Tampa native’s career, but the young Venezuelan knows everything about his famous countryman Miguel Cabrera.

Acuña admires Cabrera, the 2012 American League Triple Crown winner who might ultimately land in the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

“I’ll like to be just like Cabrera,” Acuña Jr. said. “Since I was a kid, I’ve always admired him, not precisely for his power, but because he makes hitting look so easy.”

Acuña Jr. enjoys inflicting damage as a leadoff hitter, but he does not mind where he’s at in the lineup.

“I’m very patient,” he said. “I believe that if you have something coming to you, it will be there for you. I focus on the daily job, one pitch at a time, one at bat at a time. You must not let desperation take over. It’s a very long season.

“I’m not the type of player to set individual goals. I only ask God for good health, to be able to play hard every day and to display my talent on the field.”

As his father did before for him, he’ll give lots of constructive advice to his younger brother, international prospect Luis Ángel Acuña, an infielder in the Texas Rangers organization.

Featured Image: Scott Cunningham / Getty Images Sport